


Towards the sun

by VolsungartheMighty



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Tale of Icarus AU!, Theo is captured by the dread doctors, and manages to escape them, he gets wings, they do experiments on him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 22:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16027538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VolsungartheMighty/pseuds/VolsungartheMighty
Summary: Theo is trapped in the Tower, in the centre of the labyrinth. He is the Dread Doctors play thing, as they use him for more and more experiments. But the most recent one might provide the key to his freedom.





	Towards the sun

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Tara for this, for convincing me to write my own prompt. But, i think this turned out rather well, so thanks for convincing me Tara.

The wind was crisp, the air heavy with the tang of salt and sea water, the sun warm against his tan skin. This high up, in the Tower, looming over the great labyrinth, Theo felt free. Well, as free as he could be, stuck trapped in a tower in the middle of a labyrinth, with crazy doctors.

Theo shuddered to think of the doctors. They called themselves Dread Doctors, but everyone else just called them mad. Until a year ago, Theo had merely thought that they were an old wives tale, conjured up to keep kids in line. And then one day, he’d been dragged kicking and screaming into an alley, and was suddenly in the Tower, laying on a hard, wooden table, surrounded by the three doctors.

Theo couldn’t help but yearn for his freedom. Though he’d never had much before his life in the Tower, he’d at least been free, scavenging for scraps and earning what little money he could. Though they kept him fed and healthy, Theo knew it was only so the doctors could keep experimenting on him.

He turned from the window, his looking out over the small room he now lived in. There wasn’t much, a slim cot for a bed, a low table and stool where he ate his meals, and a shelf on the wall with a few books, but not much else. Even though it was early morning, Theo was exhausted. When he wasn’t being used for experiments, he was acting as the doctors errand boy, running between each of their chambers, passing on messages, collecting tools and other items they needed.

It was just another day in his life in the tower, as Theo stretched, laying down on the slim cot. He’d get a few more hours of sleep, and then he’d be up all night doing… whatever the doctors needed.

***

The pain was excruciating.

Theo lay face down on the wooden table, the hard wood digging into his face and torso, as the doctors tore up his back. He didn’t know what they were doing this time, but it didn’t feel like it was anything good.

He felt them cut into his back, through flesh and muscle, down to the bone. He cried out in pain as bones were broken, tears running down his face and pooling against the wood. Blood ran down his back and sides, warm and sticky.

The doctors were merciless, not once letting up their torture, no matter how much he begged, how hard he struggled and cried out in pain. He was sure he blacked out a few times, but every time he woke, he was still face down on the table, the doctors still tearing up his back.

Hours passed, and finally the doctors stopped their work. A heavy weight sat on his back, and something soft brushed against the backs of his legs and tickled his feet. The doctors urged him to sit up, and he slowly pushed himself up, his arms shaking as his back flared with pain. He almost fell but managed to bring himself up into a kneeling position, sitting pack against his calves. The weight had moved with him, and now felt like it was hanging from his shoulders, rather than just resting on his back.

One of the doctors wheeled a full length mirror in front of the table, and Theo couldn’t help but gasp at his reflection. Hanging from his shoulders, large and beautiful, were a pair of dark, black feathered wings, the tips a dark blue. He watched as the wings shuddered, twitching at the slightest movements.

“Move… them” one of the doctors rasped, and Theo responded accordingly.

It took a bit of concentration, to begin with, but he was able to move them. He stretched them out, shaking them, making them twitch and flutter with every movement. His back ached, and flared with pain at every movement, but he could help but keep moving them. They were beautiful, and he was truly mesmerised by them.

The doctors started to chatter around him, but he never once listened to a word they said. Because a tiny spark of hope had bloomed in his chest. The hope that, maybe with these new wings, the doctors had just given him a way to escape.

***

The sun was peaking over the horizon when Theo flew.

It had been a week since he’d been given his wings, and it had taken quite a while for him to get used to them. They were large, larger than he had originally thought, the tips dragging along the ground behind him as he walked. He couldn’t sleep on his back any more, and he’d already lost count of the number of things he’d knocked off tables, toppled chairs and caught his wings with the doors.

But his back no longer stung with pain from the surgery, and he felt stronger than he had in ages. The doctors had informed him the night before that they expected him to be strong enough to be able to fly this morning, and that he would be punished if he didn’t. And if he jumped, but was unable to fly… well, he knew already what a fall from this height meant.

The doctors had constructed a small, wooden platform over night (it was times like these when Theo wondered if they ever slept) that hung out over the tower. It stuck out like a jagged piece of cliff, barely holding on from the meagre support the doctors had provided, and Theo felt like his weight alone would be enough to make it drop. But it hadn’t, and here he was, standing on the edge, the toes of his bare feet curling around the edge of the wood.

“Go on now” one of the doctors croaked. He held a sword in one hand, as if to stop Theo from walking back onto the safety of the stone roof.

Theo sighed, biting back a response. It would only make him suffer even more. But, if he was right, he wouldn’t be stuck here with the doctors for much longer. He lifted one foot up, holding it out over the edge, balancing on one foot, his wings curled in tightly to his back. He was hesitating, he knew. But that niggling feeling in the back of his brain told him this wasn’t right, that this was dangerous. He beat back the niggling voice, mustering his resolve and leaning forward, the motion pushing him over the edge.

And he fell.

He fell for what felt like hours, the stone walls of the labyrinth coming ever closer. The wind whipped through his hair, blowing it all over, his eyes watering from the breeze. Halfway down the tower, he finally thought to unfurl his wings, letting them out all the way, filling with air. He felt himself jerk backwards, and he beat down with his wings, his descent slowing until he came to a stop a quarter of the way down the tower.

He hovered there for a few moments, gathering his bearings. His wings actually worked. He was actually able to fly with them. He looked up the length of the tower, staring up at the doctor perched on the edge of the scaffolding. It seemed like they were motioning for him to return, probably so they could do more tests.

But he looked around about him, the ground still dizzyingly far below him, the tower to his back. All around him was empty sky, and freedom. He looked back up, seeing the doctor motioning to the others angrily. Now was his chance.

He beat his wings, gaining height, before twisting in the air and plummeting, his wings folded against his back, before flaring them out, beating them as he started to move. The labyrinth flew away beneath him, and he circled back, returning to the tower. He laughed, circling it as he rose, whooping and cheering as he felt the air on his face. It still smelt like salt, the scent of the sea heavy in the air on the light breeze, and the rays of the sun felt warm and invigorating as he flew. He arrived at the top, smirking and laughing at the doctors as they yelled threats up at him, but he didn’t listen to them.

He was free now.

He ignored them, and turned, flying off to the city, and the sea beyond. As he flew, he watched as the labyrinth suddenly gave way to green grass and field, dotted sparsely with houses, growing more and more frequent the closer he got to the city. Soon, it was the familiar sprawl of streets he was used to, cramped and noisy and dirty. But from up here, flying with the birds, Theo couldn’t help but be in awe of the city.

It was beautiful, the city laid out below him like a map. He could see familiar sites, the temples to Zeus and the other gods, the palace of the king, the street he’d been in when the doctors had taken him. He watched as people down below stopped, looking up to watch him, pointing up. Some kids started chasing him, following his flight, while others were held back by their mothers, clutched tight in terror.

Theo couldn’t help but feel like a god, flying like this. He dove down, wings furled back, before rising quickly, following some invisible line in the air as he made a loop, before continuing on his way.

A whizzing sound caught his attention, something fast hurtling past him to the left, just barely missing his wing. He looked down, and watched in surprise as one of the doctors pulled an arrow back on their bow, quickly aiming and firing. He quickly dodged to the side, laughing as he watched them curse, and soon he’d started making a game of it. As the doctors fired, he’d wait until the last second to dodge, watching as the hope died in their eyes.

He didn’t care that they were trying to kill him. He was finally free, free from them and their terrible experiments, and he couldn’t help but think that, even if he were to die, he would still be free of them.

Soon, he was finally over the water, beating his wings harder as he sped forward, farther and farther away from the doctors. He laughed again, excited to finally be free of their grasp. He flew low, skimming the water with his bare feet, before rising again. But something stopped him.

He looked down, surprised, and slightly terrified, to see a hand gripping his ankle. It wasn’t flesh and bone, but one of water, green and brackish like the sea it was formed from. Theo tried to rise, but the hand kept it’s grip on him, and he only served to pull the creature further out of the water.

The hand was attached to an arm, and as Theo tried to rise, the arm soon became a shoulder, and then a head, chest and torso had risen out of the water. The watery hand had become flesh, and soon the torso floating out of the water was flesh too, everything below it still the green water of the sea. His eyes travelled up the chiselled torso, past a thin, dark goatee on a pointed chin and up to dark, sea blue eyes. One dark eyebrow was raised in curiosity, and the mans lips were raised in a smirk.

“What, pray tell, do we have here?” The man asked, head cocked to the side in curiosity.

“I… I’m Theo” Theo managed to stutter out, surprised his voice was working at all.

“Theo” the man drawled out, as if testing how it sounded. “What a… delicious name.”

The mans hand was still wrapped around Theo’s ankle tightly, trapping him there. His wings still beat furiously, trying to get away, but still he hovered in the air.

“Who… who are you?” Theo squeaked out, the feral look on the mans face making him feel nothing but fear.

“Oh, me?” the man asked, placing a hand over his heart. “How you wound me so, dearest Theo” the man said sarcastically. “I’m Peter, God of the Sea. And you’re mine.”

Theo reeled back, as best as he could, at the mans words. This man was _Peter_? He supposed that was the case, seeing as Theo could clearly see where the mans torso became a part of the sea. But he’d just gotten away from a life of captivity, and he had not intention of going back to one.

And so, he did the one thing that came to mind. He kicked Peter in the face.

The god was sufficiently shocked, his hand around Theo’s ankle coming loose, and it gave Theo enough time to beat his wings and shake his foot out of the mans hold before flying off. He heard Peter growl in anger, giving chase.

Theo was no longer laughing. Looking back, he watched in horror as Peter’s form flickered between the beautiful form he’d seen, and a horrifying beast made entirely out of the sea water, growing steadily closer with every second. Looking forward, jets of water rose up, trying to knock Theo out of the air. But his previous games from earlier had given him experience, and he dodged through them expertly.

But this served only to anger Peter even more.

Knowing that staying close to the water was going to be the death of him, Theo knew he had only one option. With no land in sight, he had to get as high as he could, away from the sea, before he was able to go back to land. He rose, higher and higher, squinting ahead as he got closer and closer to the sun. Looking behind him, he watched as Peter rose up on a jet of water, arm outstretched, hand making a grabbing motion.

But the higher he rose, the hotter it got. He watched as steam began to pour off of Peter, until finally the god had to stop, howling in pain. Theo sighed in relief, looking ahead of him. He could see the sun, and he was close enough to make out the golden chariot, pulled by it’s fiery steeds. And on the chariot, standing tall and proud, hair aflame, stood Liam, God of the Sun. Theo watched for a moment, staring at the beauty that was the sun god, before a flare of pain in his wings cause him to cry out and look away.

He looked up and over at the one on his right, curious to see a small stream of smoke trailing away on the breeze. He tried to get a closer look, to see what was the cause, when another burst of pain came from the other wing. He looked over at it, noticing that where the smoke was trailing from on this wing, there were two feathers missing.

“Oh no” Theo said, eyes widening in horror.

He tried to move, tried to dive away from the heat of the sun, but it was too late. He screamed in pain as one by one, than in bunches, the feathers of his wings burst into flame from the heat. His wings, now a flaming, agonising mess, were useless, and he began to plummet through the air. He spun, unable to tell what was sea and what was sky, tumbling through the air as his wings continued to burn. He screamed, from the pain, from the fall, from the doom of his impending death.

An arm wrapped around his waist suddenly, and he jerked to a halt, before he was being pulled onto something solid. The heat in the air was suddenly gone, but the wind continued to whip past him. Firm hands patted down his wings, putting out the fire’s, each touch agony, yet there’s a yearning there too. Each touch is gentle, and Theo cant remember the last time someone touched him like that.

“Is everything okay?” a voice asked, and Theo looked over, surprised to look into bright, sky blue eyes. The man before him chuckled, his hand hovering gently over one of Theo’s wings. “This is going to need a lot more work than I can do here. Your coming with me.”

“Who… who are you?” Theo choked out, looking around him.

And then he realised he was still flying. But not with his wings. He was in the back of a chariot, flying across the sky, pulled by the flaming steeds. He dragged himself to the edge of the chariot, looking over, watching in wonder as the ground below flew past.

The man chuckled, and Theo looked over, watching in surprise as the mans hair changed between golden blond locks, a raging inferno, and back again, as I fin answer.

“Your… your Liam, the God of the Sun” Theo said. He looked around wildly, before suddenly realising what had happened. “T-thank you. You didn’t have to save me. Really. But thank you. I’ll… I’ll leave you to your business, once we land.”

“You’re not going any where” Liam said sternly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re coming home with me, where I’m going to fix those wings of yours. Okay?”

Theo couldn’t help but nod, gripping the railing of the chariot in a death grip as Liam spurred the steeds onwards. Before long, they were arriving at a large, golden palace, the flying steeds landing gently in the stables. Liam hopped down from the back, holding a hand out for Theo, which he took before stepping down. Theo tried not to think of the fact that Liam didn’t remove his hand from Theo’s once he was steadily on the ground, instead intertwining their fingers together as he led Theo through the palace.

The wove their way through a twisting maze of corridors, through large, spacious rooms, up stairs and across short bridges, before finally coming to a stop in what Theo thought was an infirmary. Liam led Theo to a small stool, sitting him down gently by the shoulders, before strolling over to a cupboard and flinging the doors open. Inside was a wide array of herbs, pastes, salves and lotions that Theo couldn’t even begin to imagine what for, before Liam picked one out, and walked back to Theo.

It was a large jar, about as big as his palm, and Theo watched as Liam held his thumb to the wax sealing the lid shut, watching in amazement as a flame flickered to life on the end of the gods thumb. He trailed it around the edge, melting the wax, before pulling the lid off. Inside was a paste, which Liam scooped up with two fingers, circling Theo, and gently dabbing some onto his wings.

Instant relief swallowed Theo, the pain disappearing in a flash as Liam spread the paste around. He continued to do this for every burnt patch of skin along his wings, until there was nothing left but the green paste now caked to his wings. His wings fluttered and twitched under Liam’s touch, and he couldn’t help but smile as Liam chuckled when they did.

When Liam was done, he set the empty jar down on the ground and circled around to face Theo, staring him in the eye. He looked him over once, then twice, before he said, “I want you to stay here, Theo, at least until your wings are healed.”

It was the first thing Liam had said to him since they had landed.

“How… how do you know my name?” Theo asked, shocked to learn the god knew who he was. And he hadn’t even introduced himself either.

“As creepy as it sounds… I’ve been watching over you for a while” Liam said, cheeks burning a bright red. “You… you mad my days, seeing you so carefree, running through the streets. You were so beautiful. You still are” Liam said with a laugh, as Theo crossed his arms. Liam caressed one of Theo’s wings lightly. “Your more beautiful with these than I ever thought you would be. I’m sorry I hurt you. If I’d known you were going to be chased by my uncle… I would have tried to help.”

“You don’t need to apologise” Theo said softly, letting out a low whine as Liam cupped his cheek lightly. “You don’t need to apologise for anything.”

There was a light pause, before Liam spoke again. “How about, I make it up to you?” he asked.

Theo nodded hesitantly, leaning into Liam’s hand, eyes downcast. Because of this, he did not see Liam as he moved closer, pressing their lips together in a soft, yet hesitant kiss. Theo froze for a moment, before pressing back, his lips moving in tandem with Liam’s, before Lia was pulling back again, staring into Theo’s eyes.

“Was that okay?” he asked, eyes downcast this time.

In answer, Theo leaned forward and kissed Liam on the lips, pulling back just as quickly. He smirked as Liam’s head jerked up, a smile slowly forming on his lips.

“It’s more than okay” Theo said, laughing as Liam dove forward, planting soft kisses all over his face.

And for the first time in a long time, Theo was finally, truly, happy, and more importantly, free.


End file.
